SUPER, MARIO! Giants receiver Mario Manningham juggles a throw from Eli Manning before pulling it in for a 43-yard gain in the first quarter of yesterday's 27-16 victory over the Chiefs. AP

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s probably the best compliment a quarterback can receive from an offensive lineman, a term of endearment that tells you how the large men up front think about Eli Manning. “He’s one of us,” left tackle David Diehl said simply.

It was a small sentence uttered in the Giants locker room after their 27-16 victory over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium yesterday, a win clouded by the uncertainty surrounding Manning after he suffered a bruised heel and left the game early in the fourth quarter.

His availability for Sunday’s game against the Raiders at Giants Stadium will depend largely on whether a week of treatment can remove enough of the soreness to allow him to function. Manning and the Giants didn’t seem overly concerned, but even Manning couldn’t make any guarantees.

“I’ve always been a pretty quick healer,” said Manning, who completed 20 of 34 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns. “I’ll be doing everything I can possibly do this week to get healthy and get prepared to play Oakland.”

That’s why, Diehl said, “he’s one of us.” Linemen are known to be some of the toughest men on a football team, able to play through injury and pain, the true gladiators in cleats. Right tackle Kareem McKenzie (knee) and left guard Rich Seubert (shoulder) left the Tampa Bay game with injuries last week, but were hardly mentioned on the injury report before starting and playing the whole game yesterday. They expect the same kind of effort from Manning.

“He’s tough and he wants to be out there,” Diehl said. “He’s accountable and he wants to win football games. Knowing him, he’s going to be just like one of us, be tough and get in there and do the job.”

Manning has started 75 straight regular-season games, 82 straight if you count the postseason. While there is never a good time for him to be out of the lineup, it wouldn’t be catastrophic if he couldn’t start against the woeful Raiders.

You figure David Carr could take care of Oakland. What would be of concern is breaking up the marvelous chemistry developing between Manning and wide receiver Steve Smith. After Mario Manningham’s hands proved unreliable (three drops in the first half), Manning turned to Smith, who caught 11 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

A 3-yard touchdown pass to Smith opened the scoring for the Giants and a 25-yard strike to Smith on a post-pattern in the second quarter put the Giants up 14-3. At times it looked like the duo was playing pitch-and-catch: Smith would find a hole in the Chiefs’ Swiss cheese defense and Manning would deliver a perfect pass for a decent gain.

“He’s amazing with the ball,” Smith said of Manning. “I just look up sometimes and the ball is there. He knows my body language really well.”

Smith’s production has been the surprise of the Giants’ 4-0 start. He now has 34 catches, the most through four games in team history. But tougher competition follows the Raiders. Smith knows a healthy Manning will be needed against the Saints, Cardinals, Eagles and Chargers to continue the Giants’ hot start.

“I always worry about him,” Smith said of his quarterback. “Hopefully, he’ll be all right. He’s a real tough guy, so he’s not going to tell you what’s wrong.”

Manning doesn’t always project the persona of a “tough guy” with his “Easy Eli” demeanor. But his teammates know differently.

“When things are tough and you’re out there fighting it’s not just about you. It’s about the 10 other guys in the huddle,” Diehl said. “And he’s a guy who has had that attitude since he got here. We’ve got nothing but respect for a man like that.”